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Date
9 October 2023
6:30pm
Location
1stFloor, 43 Franklin Street, AdelaideDelivery
In-personWhy Australia is not an equally well country: What the poor physical health of people living with mental illness tells us about good mental health care, system governance and the design of health services.
Every day in Australia 30 people with mental illness die prematurely of preventable physical health conditions. With a life expectancy gap of 20 years, people with severe mental illness are 11 times more likely to die of sudden cardiac failure, and eight times more likely to die prematurely due to cancer (even though the incidence of cancer is the same or lower than the general population). Chronic diseases cause 10 times more premature deaths than suicide for people with mental illness. Further, poor physical health has been identified as the factor most frequently associated with completed suicides.
The poor physical health and premature death of people living with mental illness highlights the failure of health systems and Australian health professionals to recognise and address the elevated risk of premature death for people living with mental illness.
This lecture is for clinicians, consumers, carers, mental health advocates and anyone concerned with enhancing equity of health outcomes for people with mental illness. Building on the most recent research into the nature, extent and underlying reasons for the life expectancy gap, it will propose ways, both at the clinician and systems level, to improve the physical health care and mental health care for people living with mental illness. It will also showcase some of the best Australian and international initiatives to improve the health and address the structural discrimination currently experienced by people with a lived experience of mental illness.
RSVP: 4 October 2023
A light supper will be provided at the end of the lecture.
Speaker
Prof Russell Roberts
Dr Russell Roberts is Professor of Mental Health Leadership at Charles Sturt University. He is the National Director of Equally Well Australia, a Commonwealth funded initiative established to facilitate the implementation of the Equally Well National Consensus Statement: Improving the physical health and wellbeing of people living with mental illness in Australia. He is Chair of the International Collaborative Learning Network on physical health and mental illness, Chair of the Australian Rural Mental Health Conference, and a Chief Investigator on the Rural Universities Network mental health research collaborative. He completed two terms as Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal for Rural Health and recently co-authored a review of rural mental health services in South Australia.
Russell previously served as Executive Director of Mental Health Services in Central/Western NSW, leading an organisation of over 1,100 staff in delivering services across the spectrum of mental health care. Facilities in his organisation ranged from Australia’s largest integrated mental health hospital to community teams in Australia’s most remote locations such as Bourke and Lightning Ridge. In this role he introduced the highly awarded Mental Health Emergency Care – Rural Access Program and the Aboriginal Mental Health Workforce Development Initiative.
Russell has extensive experience as a researcher with over 100 refereed journal articles, books and book chapters, 70 conference presentations, 19 keynote speeches, $12.7m in research grant funding and approx. 5,200 citations of his research work. Thus, he brings a unique perspective of clinician, researcher and service director to this area identified as a ‘priority reform’ and a ‘start now’ reform of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into mental health.
Dr Russell Roberts is Professor of Mental Health Leadership at Charles Sturt University. He is the National Director of Equally Well Australia, a Commonwealth funded initiative established to facilitate the implementation of the Equally Well National Consensus Statement: Improving the physical health and wellbeing of people living with mental illness in Australia. He is Chair of the International Collaborative Learning Network on physical health and mental illness, Chair of the Australian Rural Mental Health Conference, and a Chief Investigator on the Rural Universities Network mental health research collaborative. He completed two terms as Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal for Rural Health and recently co-authored a review of rural mental health services in South Australia.
Russell previously served as Executive Director of Mental Health Services in Central/Western NSW, leading an organisation of over 1,100 staff in delivering services across the spectrum of mental health care. Facilities in his organisation ranged from Australia’s largest integrated mental health hospital to community teams in Australia’s most remote locations such as Bourke and Lightning Ridge. In this role he introduced the highly awarded Mental Health Emergency Care – Rural Access Program and the Aboriginal Mental Health Workforce Development Initiative.
Russell has extensive experience as a researcher with over 100 refereed journal articles, books and book chapters, 70 conference presentations, 19 keynote speeches, $12.7m in research grant funding and approx. 5,200 citations of his research work. Thus, he brings a unique perspective of clinician, researcher and service director to this area identified as a ‘priority reform’ and a ‘start now’ reform of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into mental health.
Terms and conditions
Cancellation policy
There is no cancellation policy as this is a free event. Cancellations must be made no later than the 4 October 2023. If you are unable to attend, please let us know ASAP.
The health and safety of attendees is our highest priority. The RANZCP requests that if you are unwell or have cold/flu like symptoms, or you may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19, do not attend.
